Watch the Clocks

Posted May 12, 2006When my friend Talya said she was directing a British play this spring, I cringed—melodramatics and kooky accents are fun in a boyfriend, but hard (and sometimes boring) for me to observe onstage. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about—if you like your plays sharp, swift, and bitingly funny, get tickets to Clocks and Whistles, presented by the Origin Theatre Company and Elizabeth Vardin Newman Productions. Written by acclaimed English playwright Samuel Adamson, the show features a knot of 20-something Londoners who kiss, claw, and joke their way into each other’s lives, spewing one-liners and romantic vows along the way. The play may be British, but its cast and crew are all New York regulars working on their first big break—go support them, and you’ll see that The History Boys isn’t the only great British import onstage this season. (Through May 21 at Chashama Theatre, 217 E. 42nd St., between Second and Third Aves; 212-391-8151.)